Article dispensing or vending machine



. Feb.1 7, 1942. J. c. WAHL 2,273,419

I ARTICLE DISPENSING-OB VENDING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 I ,4 rra lax/5Y5.

Feb. 17, 1942. J. c. WAHL ARTICLE DISPENSING OR VENDING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 SheetS -Sheet s axwa kx/nsvrx ARTICLE DISPENSING OR VENDING MACHINE )VJJCV/X/J Feb. 17, 1942.

I ATTQF/VE/i Feb. 17, 1942. J. c. WAHL ARTICLE DISPENSING OR VENDING MACHINE Filed June 15,1940 '7 Sheets-Sheet '7 VQQ Patented Feb. 17, 1942 John C. Wahl, Buffalo, N. Y. Application June 15, 1940, Serial No. 340,747

18 Claims.

This. invention relates to improvements in article dispensing or vending machines.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings as'applied to a machine for dispensing or vending beverages in bottles, but it will be understood that it isnot intended to limit the invention touse on bottles, since packages or articles of other types may-be dispensed or sold by means of the machine embodying this invention.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for dispensing articles, one at a time from a stationary magazine containing the same, by means of which a large quantity of articles may be handled by means of a comparatively simple and .easily operable mechanism. Another object is to provide a machine of this kind with an improved article releasing mechanism which, immediately upon release of an article, is "automatically reset for receiving another'article; A further object of the invention is to provide an article dispensing machine of large capacity in which each of the articles is 'held in its own receptacle until' released, in which the receptacles are arranged in groups, and in which the releasing mechanism for each group is a duplicate of the releasing mechanismifor anothergroup, tofacilitate the manufacture of my improved machine. p Anotherobject ofthis invention is to providean easily operable mechanism of improved con-' of this invention to provide guide passages which are particularly suited for use in dispensing bottles so that the bottles will be discharged bottom first through the inclined chutes, and in which all of the bottles will be delivered to the discharge of the machine without attaining excessive speed during their giescentto the discharge opening of the machine. A further object is to provide an apparatus of this kind in which the bottles are supported in upright positions in stationary compartments before dispensing the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing machine of improved construction in which'the articles to be sold are arranged in a novel manner to facilitate the successive releasing of the articles and the delivery of the same from the machine without excessive drop on the part of. any of the articles, regardless of where they are located with reference to the discharge of the machine.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of an article dispensing machine embodying thisinvention,

showing the general arrangement of the individual article compartments and the precooling space.

.; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation thereof, showing the relative disposition of the means for guiding the bottles to the discharge opening.

jectis to providean improved and simplified releasing mechanism'of thistype capable of operating upon a large number of -articles to release tlfim client 'a time. fAllOthGFObjBCt is to priivi e amechani'sm of this kind which isoper'- able" to dispensearticles' of different kinds selectively according to the choice'of the purchaser.

Another object of this invention'isto' provide guide passages." of improvedmonstruction, by

means of Q which articles from different parts of the" apparatus are discharged-by gravity to v a common discharge outlet. the. invention to provide an arrangement of guide passages for the articles inwhich the articl "will' be discharged without" inverting the sainesl Another object is' to. provide guide passagesfoflthis kind of improved construction. for

providing" a' gradual 'drop'o'f 'the articles "to the discharge of the machine. It is also an object A further object of Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation thereof on a larger scale, taken approximately on the line 33, Fig. 4. v A Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view thereof,

taken approximately on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, and

partly in section.

Fig.5 is afragmentary plan view thereof on a still larger-scale, showing the means for releasing the articles from their compartments,v the I parts being shown in normal positions;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation thereof, taken approximately on the line 6-6, Fig. 5. .I I Fig. '7 is ;a fragmentary plan view thereof similar to Fig; .5, but showing some of the parts in parts of the mechanism at the right-hand side of the machine.

Fig. is a sectional plan view of the machine,

taken approximately on line |5l5, Fig. 2.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation thereof, taken on line Iii-l6, Fig. 2.,

Fig. 1'7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation indicating in full and in broken lines respectively various positions taken by an article during its movement from its compartment to the point of discharge.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of the machine in which articles of different kinds may be selectively dispensed.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary view, partly in front elevation and'partly in vertical'section, of the machine shown in Fig. 18.

My improved apparatus may be arranged within any suitable or desired housing, that shown including a plurality of upright walls A, which may, if the articles to be sold are to be kept cold or hot, be provided with suitable heat insulation B. The top of the housing may be covered in any suitable manner (not shown), and at a suitable distancebeneath the top, there is provided a magazine or support. of any suitable construction for the articles to be dispensed. In the particular construction illustrated, this article support or magazine is formed by a plate 25, which may, if desired, be reinforced or supplemented by another plate 26. The two plates are spaced apart and supported from one of the upright walls of the housing by means of an angle-shaped bar 21 secured to the housing. The opposite or'front edges of the supporting plates 25 and 26 are supported from a cross member or beam 28, the ends of which are suitably secured to two opposite walls of the housing.

In accordance with my invention, each article to be vended is supported in its own space or compartment. These compartments may be of any suitable or desired form, and in the construction illustrated, a plurality of tubes 30 of substantially cylindrical form are provided for supporting the articles X, which, by way of example, are in the form of bottles containing beverages. The plates 25 and 26 are provided with holes through which the tubes 30 extend so that upper portions of the tubes above the plates form compartments for the articles, and the lower portions of the tubes 30 below the plate 26 act as guides through which the articles drop when released from their supported positions in the upper portions of the tubes. I

The tubes or compartments are preferably arranged in groups, such as rows, those shown extending both lengthwise and crosswise of the machine: but other arrangements for grouping the articles may be provided.

In order to support the bottles or other articles in the upper portions of the compartments 30, each compartment is provided with a slot or opening 32 extending about a relatively small portion of the periphery of the tube or compartment, and an article retainer 34 is arranged to extend through this slot or opening into the 7 compartment to a slight extent sufiicient to support the article in the upper portion of the compartment, the retainer being movable through the slot out of supporting position to release the article so that the same may drop downwardly through the tube to be delivered at the discharge of the machine. One of these retainers is provided for each compartment and each retainer is secured to an arm 35, the arms being arranged adjacent to the compartments on the exterior thereof, and as clearly shown in Fig. 4, these arms are arranged in groups, a group being arranged at one side of each row of compartments and being supported'by the top plate 25. Each arm extends to one edge of the plate, for example, to the front edge which is supported on the frame member 28. Since each compartment of a row is located at a different distance from the front edge of the plate 25, the arms for the various retainers of each row or groupare all of different lengths so that they all terminate near the front edge of the plate 25. Since each arm of a row must be capable of moving independently of every other arm, all of the arms, except the last one, nearest to said edge of the plate 25, are provided adjacent to the retainers 34 with bends or effects 36, and these bends are also of different lengths, so that the main portions of the arms 35 of a group are arranged one above the other and spaced apart from each other, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 12. Each arm and its retainer 34 are guided for movement in the direction of the length of the arm in any suitable manner, and in the construction shown, each of the retainers 34 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 31 through which a screw or pin 38 extends, which is secured to the plate 25. The length of the slot 31 is sufllcient to permit the retainer to move into and out of supporting position for the article.

I also provide means for moving the retainers in one direction and resilient means for moving the retainers in the opposite direction. In the particular construction illustrated by way of example, I have shown a spring 40' for each retainer, one end of the spring being secured to the retainer and the other end to the plate 25 or other stationary part.

By means of the construction described, it will be noted that the compartments and retainers are arranged in groups, each longitudinal row of compartments comprising a group, and the retainers and arms are also arranged in a group.

each other in a vertical direction. In order to connect each arm to its corresponding link, the front end of each arm is provided with a horizontally and laterally extendingmortion 43 terminating in a downwardly extending projection or lug 44, the lower end of which is connected with a link 42, see particularly Figs. 11 and 13. The parts 43 and 44 of each arm differ in length from corresponding parts of other arms of a row, as clearly indicated in Fig. 11. The front ends of the arms may be held in correct relation I retainer arms 35 is mounted.

one above the other, in any suitable manner, for example, by means of the outer peripheries of the tubes or compartments 35, or if desired,

posts 45 may be provided at the front edge of' the plate 25, which are spaced to receive between them the front ends of the arms '35.

The laterally extending parts '43 of adjacent arms 35 preferably extend in opposite directions,

a tube 35. Any'suitable means may be provided for moving the arms 35 forwardly one at a time, for example, by means of a member having a plurality of spaced projections or parts capable of actuating the links 42 and which is movable through a small increment of movement at each actuation, the movement being sufficient to cause i one projection to actuate one link at each increment of movement. By way of exampl'e, I have disclosed in the drawings, a rotary member which is turned through a small fraction of a revolution at each actuation of the machine, and which is provided with parts spaced thereon, in such a manner that at each partial turn of the rotary member, one arm '35 will be moved forwardly to release an article, the arm being again moved backwardly by its spring 45 into position to receive another article. This movement may either be imparted directly to an arm 35 or link 42, or, if desired, as shown in the drawings, through the medium of a plurality of levers 55, one being provided for each link 42 and having an arm thereof pivotally connected with a link. These levers are pivotally mounted to swing independently of each other about one or more shaftsand the other arms of the levers each have a tooth 51. I

Any suitable means for mounting the shafts 5| may be provided. For example, I have shown a transverse beam or frame member 53 extending across the machine from side to side, the opposite ends of the beam being supported on inwardly extending flanges of supporting brackets 54 secured to the side walls A of the housing of the machine, see Figs. 9 and 10. The samebrackets 54 also have inwardly extending flanges 55 to which the transverse frame members 28 may be secured, thus providing a fixed relationship between the frame member Z8 which supports the front end of the plates 5 1C115 and the beam 53 on which the actuating mechanism for the As clearly shown in FigsQB and Ste 15, the beam 53 supports a plurality'of substantially legs 55 and horizontallyextending webs'55 which -may be secured to the lower face of the beam 53 in any suitable or desired manner, for example, by means of screws, as in Figs. 3 and 8. One 'of these brackets is provided for each group or longitudinal row of articles and the lower ends of the downwardly depending legs 55 of-each bracket is provided with a shaft'5l rigidly secured thereto, and on which the number of levers 55, corresponding to the number of articles in a on a shaft 5| and these hubs may be formed on or secured to the levers 55. Each of the levers is provided with one of the downwardly extending arms or teeth 51 which, as shown in Fig. 3, is adapted to cooperate with one tooth or projection 58 of a rotary member on which these teeth are arranged in staggered relation.

The rotary member carrying the teeth or projections 58 may be of any suitable or desired construction, and as shown in the drawings, this member comprises a shaft 55, the ends .of which are suitably journalled in downwardly depend- 'ing legs 5|, the upper ends of which are secured to the supporting beam 53 in any suitable manner, for example, by being welded thereto, or by being formed in one piece therewith. A strap 52 serves to hold the shaft 55 in place on each of the depending legs 5|.

On the shaft 55, I mount a" plurality of segments 54 of a cylinder, on which segments the teeth or projections 58 are arranged. One of these segments is provided for each group or row Qf compartments and, consequently, all of these segments may be identical; The cylinder segments 54 in the construction shown are made of sheet metal and the teeth 55 are stamped out of each segment, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Each of these segments may also "be formed integral-with a disk 55 which may be suitably mounted to revolve with the shaft 55. In the construction shown, each disk 55 is rigidly se cured to a'hub portion 55 and the shaft 55 extends through all of the various hubs55 on which the disks 55 are secured.

As shown in the several figures, each cylinder segment 54 is mounted in a different relation to the shaft 55, both lengthwise and circumfer-' entially thereof. In order to facilitate the assembly of the segments in correct relation relatively to each other, I provide each disk 55 with a series of apertures corresponding in number to the number of segments to be used on a machine. For example. in the machine illustrated, twelve segments are shown, and consequently, twelve holes 5'! are provided in each of the disks55, these holes being all equally spaced from each other and located in identical relation to the cylinder segment of a disk. Consequently, when the disks and their hubs 55 are assembled on a U-shaped brackets having downwardly extending Q shaft 55, a rod 58 is passed through one hole of each disk and the disks are so positioned relatively to each other that their cylindrical segments are all spaced in different positions about the axis of the shaft. By means of the rod or pin 58, which may be suitably secured in place on the disks, the several cylindrical segments can be easily assembled andretained in correct relation to each other. If desired, the hubs 55 of the disks may, in addition, be provided with pins or set screws for securing the same to the shaft 55 after they have been correctly positioned by means of the-rod 58, or the hubs may be connected By means of the construction shown, it will be obvious that the'teeth or projections 58 of the cylindrical segment 54 will all be spaced in different angular positions about the axis of the shaft 55 so that only one tooth at a time will actuate a lever 55, and when-properly assembled', the teeth will be spaced from each other circumferentially as shown in Fig. 3. The teeth 58 will, of course, also be spaced lengthwise of the rotary member, so that each tooth will be positioned to engage one of the levers 55.

Considering particularly Figs. 6 and 8, if the with each other to rotate about the shaft rotary member is turned through an increment of movement or a small fraction of a revolution corresponding to the circumferential distance between teeth, a tooth 58 willengage the arm or extension 51 of a lever 50 as shown in Fig. 6, and the continued movement will swing the lever 58 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 8, thus also moving the corresponding link 42 connected therewith and the retainer arm 35 connected with the link, to anextent sufiicient to move the article retainer on the rear end of the arm 35 into a position to release an article, so that it drops downwardly through its compartment or tube 30.

Any suitable or desired means may be provided for imparting increments of motion to the rotary member, including the. several cylindrical segments 64. In the construction shown for this purpose, I have provided a ratchet wheel or disk 10 which is suitably secured to the rotary member, that shown being provided with a hub H which may be secured to the adjacent hub 68 of a disk 65 or to the shaft 60. This ratchet wheel has ratchet teeth corresponding in number and in circumferential spacing to the teeth or projections 58 of the rotary member. I also provide a pawl 72 yieldingly pressed into engagement with the ratchet teeth of the wheel 10 by suitable means, such for example as a spring 13. The pawl is pivotally mounted on a pawl lever 14 having a hub '15 pivoted to oscillate freely on the shaft 60.

The pawl lever 14 is mounted to oscillate to a sufficient extent about the shaft 60 to move the pawl' I2 through a distance sufficient to advancethe ratchet wheel 10 through the distance of one tooth. Any suitable means may be employed for limiting the oscillation of this pawl lever, and in the construction illustrated, see particularly Figs. 3 and 10, I provide a stop pin or projection 16 on the lower end of. the downwardly extending arm 6|. This pin is so located as to engage the pawl "to limit the movement thereof in a direction to advancethe rotarymember.. In order to limit the movement of the pawl lever 14 in the opposite direction, I provide a stop member 11 which is suitably secured at one end to the downwardly extending arm 8| and which is bent so that the other end may engage the pawl lever I4 when the same has moved to one limit of its movement. Consequently, one oscillation of the pawl lever 14 will move the ratchet wheel H1 and the rotary member through a distance suflicient to release one article. Any other means may, of course, be provided for providing a step by step movement of the rotary member.

ing through the same, the core 8| will be drawn inwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 against the action of the spring 83 and will thus move the pawl lever 14 to the right in Fig. 3 so that the pawl 12 is moved into engagement with another tooth. Upon interruption of the supply of current to the solenoid coil, the pull on the core 8| is interrupted and the spring 83 will yieldingly move the pawl lever 14 to the left in Fig. 3, thus moving the rotary member through the distance of one tooth.

The circuit including the solenoid coil may,

of course, be actuated manually in case the machine is employed merely for dispensing articles. If the machine is employed for vending the articles, some suitable means are preferably employed for completing the circuit through the solenoid coil when a coin or token is deposited in the machine. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, and in the construction illustrated by Way of example, I have shown more or less diagrammatically'means for accomplishing this purpose. I have also shown in Fig. 3 a coin actuated mechanism whichis arranged to be actuated by two coins, in case the price of the article necessitates the use of two coins, but it will be obvious that if a single coin is to be used to actuate the mechanism, certain of the parts shown may be omitted.

84 and 85 represent coin tubes or passages, which may be located side by side and for example, the tube 84 may be of a size to permit a one cent piece to drop through the same, while the tube 85 may be of larger size to receive a five cent piece. Upon-leaving the tubes or passages 84 and 85, the coins or tokens will strike a movable coin receptacle 86 pivoted at 81 on a fixed part of the machine. The coin receptacle is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by yielding means, such as a spring 88, against the stop 89. The movable coin receptacle has a pair of channels formed in the upper face thereof, one channel being located beneath each of the coin chutes 84 and 85 so that the The pawl lever 14 may be oscillated in any suitable or desired manner. If the dispensing machine is employed merely for delivering articles one at a time for sale by a clerk, the pawl 14 may be actuated by hand. If it is desired to utilize my improved machine for automatically vending articles, the actuation of the pawl lever 14 may be through the medium of a coin controlled mechanism. Preferably, I actuate the pawl lever 14 by means of a solenoid 80 having a core 8| connected by means of a link 82 to one end of the pawl lever T4. The solenoid imparts movement to the pawl lever in one direction only, and movement in the other direction may, consequently, be imparted by means of a spring, such as the coil spring 83 clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 10. When the coil of the solenoid is energized by means of electric current pass-- coins will drop from the chutes into the two channels. In its upper position as shown in Fig. 3, the coin troughs or channels are arrangedat a very slight inclination so that the coins will slowly roll in these troughs to the lower ends thereof, at which they are stopped by means of transverse abutments or stops 98. The movable coin receptacle 85 is so balanced by means of the spring 88 that the weight of one coin at the outer end thereof will not swing the coin receptacle about its pivot 81 but the weight of two coins will swing the movable coin receptacledownwardly into a circuit closing position, in which position a circuit will be closed, as diagrammatically indicated inFig. 3, by having the coin receptacle engage a contact or terminal 9| connected by means of a conductor 92 to a current supply line 93. Any suitable means may be provided for completing the circuit to the solenoid 80 when the movable coin receptacle is swung into its lower position. For example, the

movable coin receptacle 8.6 may be made of conducting material and connected to a conductor 94 leading to one terminal of the coil of the solenoid 80. The other terminal of the coil is connected by means of a. conductor 95 to the other current supply line 96. After the coins have depressed the movable coin receptacle 86 and completed a circuit through the solenoid coil, they will be discharged from the receptacle by rolling over the stops or abutments into a suitable coin receptacle (not shown), so that the spr g 88 will again return the movable coin receptacle 88 into the open circuit position shown in Fig. v 3, in which the machine is ready for another operation. Any other means for supplying current to the solenoid coil to release an article from the machine may be employed, If desired, and if only one coin is required as the price of the article, one of the coin tubes 84 or 05 may be omitted and also one trough of the movable coin receptacle, in which case the spring 88 is of such strength that it will permit the movable receptacle 86 to be swung down by the by hand. An inclined trough-shaped chute I03 extends from the rear wall of the housing to the delivery opening I00 and this chute I03 is arranged in the middle portion of.the machine to receive articles from both sides thereof as Well as articles discharged from compartments arranged immediately above the chute. In the particular construction shown, this chute is arranged underneath four longitudinal rows of compartments for the articlesin order to. insure the movement of the articles down this chute in a lengthwise direction.

The articles located at opposite sides of the chute I03 are discharged from their compartments upon inclined slideways I06 which may be in the form of substantially flat inclined 'plates secured at their upper ends to the side walls of the housing and having their lower edges terminating at the sides of the chute I03. In order to guide the articles in their movement along the inclined slideways I06, so that they will move lengthwise down these slideways, a series of partitions or upright walls I01 may be provided, ar-

ranged below the spaces between transversely extending rows of compartments.

With some types of articles, it is desirable to have the articles supported in their compartments and delivered through the opening in the machine with their tops uppermost. This is particularly desirable in connection with bottles containing milk or other drinks in which damage to the closure might result if the bottle is delivered with the upper end downward and strikes the stop wall I02. In order to prevent this from happening, I arrange the lower ends of the article compartments or tubes at approximately the same distances vertically above the inclined slideway I06, so that the lower portions of the .tubes 30 will vary in length, as clearly shown,

in Fig. 2, the tubes nearest to'the sides of the housing and the upper ends of the inclined plates I06 being the shortest and those nearest to the chute I03 being the longest. The lower end of each tube 30 should be positioned above the Consequently, if an article drops downwardly through the tube 30 and strikes the inclined slideway I 00, the upper portionof the article will still be within the lower end of the tube 30. The bottom of the article, upon striking the inclined slideway I00, will begin to slide down a slideway, while th top of the article is still within the tube 30 and consequently, the article will be inclined or tilted in such a manner that it will slide down the slideway bottom first.

Since some of the articles must drop-through a considerable distance to the slideways, I prefer to provide cushioning means which the articles will strike. In the construction shown for this purpose, portions of the inclined plates I06 forming the slideways are cutout to form openings I00 and cushioning springs I09 are stretched lengthwise in these openings, the ends of the springs being secured to the plates I06 at the edges of the openings. when struck by an article and also will offer very little resistance to the movement of the articles along the slideways. springs may be employed on some or all of the slideways, or if the articles are light, the cushioning means may be entirely omitted.

In the construction shown, the four middle rows of articles which are not arranged above the slideways I06, are located directly above the chute I03, and since some of these articles are supported at a considerable elevation above the chute I03, particularly those located nearest to the front of the machine, I provide additional means for delivering articlesffrom these rows from the machine, such means including a device for breaking the fall of the articles from the tubes to the chute. This device, in the particular 1 construction shown, isin the form of a yieldingly supported chute IIO, which may, for example, be pivoted or hinged at III on the rear wall of the housing. This chute is slightly narrower than the chute I03, so that the sides II2 of this chute may pass between the sides 3 v of the chute I03, and if desired, this pivoted chute may alsobe provided with a central partition wall II5. This hinged chute is yieidingly supported in the upper portion shown in Figs. 2 and 16 by any suitable means, such for example as coil springs II6, the springs being of such strength that'the weight of an article on the pivoted chute IIO will cause the chute to 'swing downwardly into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 16. Stop means are preferably provided for limiting the extent to which the hinged chute may swing upwardly, and if desired, the side walls of the chute may extend upwardly so as to abut againstthe lower frame plate 20 when in its upper position. The lower ends of those tubes 30 which are above the hinged chute IIO preferably are also arranged so that the vertical distance between'the bottom IIO of the pivoted chute and the lower ends of the tubes 30 will be less than the height of the articles. Preferably, the portion III! of the hinged chute nearest to the pivot III is inclined downwardly to a greater extent than the remaining portions of the chute, so that an article greater distance from the hinge or pivot III so that the weight of the article will promptly cause the front end of the pivoted chute IIO to swing downwardly. The relationship of thetubes to the inclined chuteis such as explained in connection with Fig.'l'7 so that bottles or other These springs will yield These cushioning may be provided. While I haveshown a mov-' able chute only above the discharge chute I03,

it will be obvious that pivoted chutes could .also be employed for discharging some or all of the articles from compartments or tubes arranged above the slideways I06.

It will be noted that the space at the front of the machine above the operating mechanism for the article retainers is not occupied by compartments for the articles and preferably ashelf I20 is provided in this space, on which a reserve supply of articles may be supported. If the upper part of the machine is to be cooled "by any suitable means, such as a cooling coil of a 'refrigerating system (not shown), then the shelf I20 mayserve to precool some of the bottles or articles supported thereon before they are positioned in the individual compartments 30. When the interior of the housing of the machine is cooled, a small trap door or curtain (not shown) may be provided at or near the discharge opening I to resist or retard the escape of cool air I can easily be adapted to operate on two or more different articles. and in Figs. 18 and 19, I have shown a modified construction suitable for use in connection with two different articles or commodities, such for example as two different kinds of beverages. In such case, two different rotary members may be provided, one of which includes a plurality of disks I25 having cylindrical segments I26 adapted for cooperation in connection with compartments I21 for one type of beverage, while the other rotary member is provided with a series of disks I28 also having cylindrical segments (not shown) for cooperation with compartments I29 containing another kind of beverage. The inner ends of the two rotary members may be supported on a common bearing I30 mounted on a suitable part of the frame and ,each rotary member is provided with a ratchet wheel I32 which may be similar in construction to the ratchet wheel I0 heretofore described, and a similar ratchet mechanism may be employed. One ratchet mechanismifiaybe actuated by means of a solenoid I35 and the other mechanism by means of a solenoid I36.

The rotary members are only partly shown in Figs. 18 and 19, and the retainers and the actuating mechanism therefor are omitted for sake tact member I42 arranged in the interior of the housing and adapted to make contact with either of two terminals I43 or I44. The movable switch arm or contact member I42 is connected by means of a conductor I46 to a coin actuated circuit closing member I41, which may be similar to the member 86 hereinbefore described, or which may be of any other suitable construction, that shown being made to operate on a single coin or token. When this member is moved into circuit closing position by a coin, current may pass to it through a conductor I48 from an electric current supply line I49. The contact member I43 is connected to the solenoid I36 by means of a conductor I50 and the other terminal of the solenoid is connected to the other current supply line I52 by means of a conductor I53. The other terminal I44 is connected by means of a conductor I54 to a terminal of the other solenoid I35, the other terminal of which is also connected to the conductor I53 leading to the power line I52. By means of this arrangement, the same coin controlled circuit closing mechanism may be employed for any number of different types of articles to be dispensed and the knob I40, which is set by the purchaser, controls the flow of electric current to one or another solenoid to release the type of article desired. While I have shown in the drawings only two separate rotary members for dispensing two types of articles, yet it will be obvious that the construction shown in Figs. 18 and 19 may be used for dispensing any desired number of different types of articles.

The machine described has the advantage that it is capable of being built for a very large capacity in a limited space,'and the mechanism for releasing the article is of such construction that it comprises many identical parts which can be easily and inexpensively produced, namely, from metal stampings, and which can be easily grouped and assembled to produce a machine which is comparatively inexpensive and very reliable and positive in its operation. The amount of power required to release an article is very small, so that no motor is required, but merely one or more solenoids. By means of my improved chutes and inclined slideways, articles can be discharged by gravity from any compartment in the machine. The machine requires no actuation by the operator other than to deposit the coin, unless the machine is of the type shown in Figs. 18 and 19, in which case, the operator may also adjust the knob or indicator to select the kind of article that he wants. When the various compartments of the machine are filled by an attendant, the article retainers are always in their operative positions, so that it is merely necessary for the operator to position articles in the individual compartments provided therefor.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for dispensing articles, the combination of a plurality of compartments, each adapted to contain one article, a retainer for each compartment for supporting the article therein, when in retaining position and to permit the contents of the compartment to be discharged when out of retaining position, a rotary member having a plurality of projections corresponding in number to said compartments, each projection being spaced from other projections both length wise and circumferentially of said rotary member, and parts associated with said retainers and extending into the path of movement of said projections vaboutgthe axis? ofv said rotary member, said projections engaging said retainers successivelyduring .the rotationof said rotary member adaptedto-containan article, a retainer for each compartment forsupporting an article therein,

wheninretaining position and being movable out of articleretaining position to permit an' article to; drop by gravity'out of a compartment into a position accessible to a purchaser. a rotary member having-a plurality of projections, eachprojectionbeing spaced from other projections both lengthwise and circumferentially of said rotary member, parts associated with said retainers and extendinginto the path of movementof said projections about the axis of said rotary member,

' said (projections engaging said retainerssuccessively during the, rotationoi-said rotary member to move, said retainers' momentarily into article releasing, positionaand means for yieldingly urgingwsaid retainersinto article retaining posi- Im a machine for dispensing articles, the

combination of a plurality of compartments, each adapted to contain an article, a retainer for each compartment upon'which an article therein rests, said, retainer being movable into and out of articlesupporting position, amember movable by increments; of movement and havingaa plurality of, projections thereonv spaced apart, a lever connected with each retainer and having a portion thereof located in the path of movement of one of I the projections oi said movable member for swinging saidlevenintoa position to move said retainer outoi its article supporting position, and

means for guiding articles ;re1eased by-said re-,

tainers i nto -.pos ition accessible to a. purchaser. A In a', machine :for dispensing articles, the combination of apluralityof compartments, each adapted to contain an article, a retainer for each compartment. ior; supporting :an article therein, said retainer, being movable into and out of articlesupporting; position,; a member a movable by ncreme ts; qfain vem n n having a plurali y of, projections .thereon spaced apart, a lever .con-

nected witheach, retainerv and having a portion thereon, located; in i the path of movement of one projections of;-.said, movable member for H grng said everiintoa position to move said retainer; ,ou t;,.oi its article: ;$upp,orting, position, means ior .yieldingly. urging said retainer into its rt l su por in m i on. a s d ev into p'osi ba he eeainaen asedi by a Projection m-said. mq ahle, member. an means o guiding ing movement to said retainers one at a time to said compartments. the retainers of each group being movable independently of each other, and a movable member formed of a plurality of segments having projections arranged to succes-' means for mounting said segments on said movable member' in different relations to each other with reference to the direction of movement of said member, whereby said segments are moved one an time into positions to move the retainers ordifierent groups into article discharging positions. i

6. In a machine for dispensing articles, the combination of a plurality of compartments arranged in groups, the compartments of each group being positioned in identical arrangement relatively to each other, a plurality of retainers for holding the articles in said compartments, the retainers of each group being positionedadjacent to each other, a rotary member comprising a plurality of identical cylindrical segments having projections, each segment being arranged to cooperate with the retainers of one group and being adapted during the rotation of said memher, to move saidretainers one at a time into article releasing positions, said segments being arranged in spaced relation both lengthwise and circumferentially of said rotary member to cause said segments to move one at a time to actuate said retainers.

7. In an article'dispensing machine, the combination of a plurality of retainers for holding articles in position to be dispensed, a member movable by increments and having projections thereon'for cooperation with said retainers and arranged so that at each increment of movement one projection thereon moves one retainer into i an article releasing position, said member comprising a plurality of equal parts each carrying a number of said projections and secured thereto in step-like arrangement to move successively into positions to have their projections impart movement to said retainers. l 8. In an article dispensing machine, the combination of a plurality of retainers for holding articles in position to be dispensed, and a member rotatable by increments of movement and having a plurality of substantially cylindrical segments arranged thereon, at different distances from anend of said member and spaced circumferentially from each other, said segments having projections thereon arranged to impart movement one at a time to said retainers to move thesame into positions to release the articles.

thereon arranged to impart movement to said retainers to release said articles and positioned so that at each increment of movement one of said articles is released.

' 10. In an article dispensing. machine, the combination of a plurality of retainers for holding articles in position to be dispensed, a rotary member having projections thereon for impartrelease articles held thereby, said rotary member including a plurality of equal parts each having a hub, a radially extending disk and a cylindrical segment carrying some of said projections, each disk having a series of holes therein corresponding in number to the number of segments on said. rotary member, said holes being equally spaced from-the center of said member and equalinto position ly spaced from each other, and a rod arranged parallel to the axis of said member and extending through one hole of each disk, to space said segments from each other circumferentially of said member.

11. In an article dispensing machine, the combination of a plurality of retainers for holding articles in position to be dispensed, a member movable by increments and having projections thereon for cooperation with said retainers and combination of means for stationarily supporting a plurality of containers in upright positions and each independently of the others, an inclineddischarge chute below a portion of said supporting means, for discharging containers one at a time from the machine, and an inclined slideway having its lower portion terminating in said chute and extending to aside of said chute and on which containers discharged from the portion of said means located above said slideway slide into said chute.

13. In an article dispensing machine, the combination of means for supporting a plurality of articles each independently of the others, an inclined discharge chute below a portion of said means for discharging articles one at a time from the machine, a hinged chute yieldingly held .in an' upper position to receive articles and swung by the weight of said articles into a lower position to discharge articles therefrom to said first mentioned chute, and an inclined slideway extending laterally of said inclinedchute for discharging articles to said inclined chute below said hinged chute.

14. In an article dispensing machine, the combination of means for releasably supporting a plurality of articles with their tops uppermost, an inclined slideway below said supporting means on which saidarticles are dropped when released and on which the articles slide to discharge themarticles and upon which said articles are dropped when released, said slideway being provided with partitions, arranged below the spaces between said rows to cause articles to slide lengthwise in said slideways transversely of the machine, and an inclined chute arranged below the lower portion of said slideway and into which articles pass from said slideway for discharge from the machine.

16. In an article dispensing machine, the combination of means for releasably supporting a plurality of articles each independently of the others, an inclined slideway arranged below said supporting means and upon which articles, when released, are dropped, and a plurality of coil springs stretched lengthwise of said slideway and upon which articles may drop and along which they may slide to be discharged from the-machine.

17. In a machine for dispensing bottles, the. combination of a plurality of compartments for supporting bottles in upright positions and arranged in a series of substantially parallel rows,

each row having one end thereof terminating substantially in alinement with one of the ends of each of the other rows, a bottle retainer for each compartment upon which a bottle rests when in its compartment, said retainers having arms extending between said rows of compartmentsand terminating adjacent to said ends of said rows, the retainers and arms of one row being identical with the retainers and arms of the other rows and said arms extending beyond said alined ends of said rows, each retainer and arm being movable independently of other arms and retainers into and out of position tomove said retainers out of bottle supporting positions, a rotary member having its axis extending transversely of said rows beyond said ends thereof, projecting parts on said rotary member arranged about the axis of said member to move said arms and retainers one at a time into article releasing positions.

18. The combination of a plurality of retainers for holding articles in position to be released, a rotary member movable by increments and having projections thereon for cooperation with said retainers and arranged so that at each increment of movement one projection thereon moves a different retainer into an article releasing position, a ratchet wheel on said rotary member and having teeth thereon spaced apart at distances corresponding to said increments of movement, a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel and reciprocable to move said ratchet wheel through the distance of one tooth at each reciprocation of said pawl, and means including a solenoid having a plunger connected with said pawl for effecting reciprocation of the same.

JOHN C. WAI-IL. 

